A Map for Bella Books 1-4

by Paula Kay

  Lia couldn’t do that for her—for them—and she’d not betray a confidence in order to make things easier for Isabella now. It was something Isabella needed to learn for herself.

  Lia brought her attention back to Antonio, who was laughing at her on the other end of the phone.

  “Honey, are you okay?”

  Lia laughed too. “Yes, sorry. I’m fine. Just thinking about all the good news we’re getting around here today.”

  Jemma had told her that it was fine to start telling the others, so Lia filled Antonio in on the news that they were going to have a baby in the family soon.

  “I couldn’t be happier for them. That is joyous news for sure. And Jemma is doing well? How wonderful that she could surprise Bella like that. I’m sure she was beside herself when she saw her walk in today.”

  “That’s an understatement. Aside from Jemma’s nap earlier, the two have been inseparable. And Jemma is looking very well—maybe a bit more tired than what is normal for her, but we’re going to make sure that she gets lots of good rest while she’s here.”

  “That sounds good. I’m glad you all are having such a good time. Honey, I can’t believe you’ve only been gone a day. How is it possible that I already miss you this much?” Antonio laughed, and Lia felt the lump in her throat that she got whenever the magnitude of Antonio’s love hit her.

  “I miss you too, baby.”

  “I think you and I might not be able to make it all these days apart. Maybe I can come down and steal you away for just a night?”

  Lia grinned. “Yes, I think we could manage that.” She let silence fill the moment for a second as she prepared to get off the phone. “I suppose I should get back to the others. Thanks for calling, honey. Thanks for all that good news. You have no idea how much you made my day.”

  “I can imagine. So you’ll tell the others, then? They can keep it a secret, yes? This has really been stressed to me. I don’t think anyone would know except for the fact that we don’t want our Bella being uncomfortably upset during this time leading up to their big day.”

  “Yes, I agree, and don’t you worry. Apparently we’re all doing a pretty good job of keeping secrets around here.” Lia laughed lightly as she thought about the unexpected baby news.

  “Oh, and speaking of secrets…”

  “Antonio.”

  “Yes, I know, honey, but if it seems like the right time—I think Bella would want to know and I’m just worried that she’ll be upset—”

  “We’ll see.”

  “OK. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Antonio. Thanks for calling, honey.”

  Lia sat for a few more minutes gathering her thoughts and thinking about how everything was going to move forward with this grand plan underway. Her only focus was going to be on Bella and making this time away special for her. As long as she kept that in mind, the rest would work itself out.

  When Lia made her way back to the main sitting room she found everyone there chatting except for Isabella. Perfect.

  Jemma filled Lia in that she’d just left Isabella to take a call from Thomas, and Lia filled the others in on everything she’d just learned from Antonio.

  Chapter 13

  Isabella clicked open her video app as she made her way back to her suite in the villa. She flopped down on the bed as Thomas’s face filled her screen.

  “Hi, babe. Wow! It’s great to see you!” Thomas smiled and Isabella’s heart tugged for missing him.

  “Hi. I miss you. So much. How’s everything going? Are you regretting your decision not to have your master packer by your side helping you with the apartment stuff?”

  Thomas had teased her endlessly about how she’d missed her calling in life, because she seemed to have a special knack for fitting things into the moving boxes. It’s like a puzzle, she’d said—or a game of Tetris. She grinned at the memory of packing up everything from Thomas’s apartment. They’d shared a bottle of wine and had their favorite rock tunes going all night. Finally, just before sunrise, they’d collapsed together on the sofa, the entire contents of the place surrounding them in boxes.

  “I’m getting there. Wanna see?”

  Isabella nodded her head and watched as Thomas gave her the tour of the apartment.

  “You are keeping stuff there too, though, right? I mean, I think it’s mostly the stuff that we’d set aside in the dining room that will go to the new place.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I know it looks a little crazy now, but I’m getting there. Iz, I promise that I have things under control.”

  “I know you do, babe.”

  “But enough about packing and other boring topics—I wanna hear what’s going on there. How’s the place?”

  “Oh, Thomas it’s so gorgeous. Look.” She turned her phone screen so that Thomas was getting the shot of her suite. “And would you believe there are like eight to ten suites like this—I don’t even know how many, but plenty. And I’ll have to show you the rest of the place later. The view from the patio and garden is spectacular. I really want to come back here with you—maybe on our honeymoon.” Isabella grinned, the camera now back on her where she knew Thomas could make out the silly expression on her face.

  “Honey?”

  “Yes, my love.”

  “You are letting me plan this surprise honeymoon, correct?”

  “Yes. Absolutely! I wouldn’t dream of interfering—except, of course, to maybe drop you some hints now and then—because I know that your goal with it all is my blissful happy smiling face.”

  Isabella was teasing him but she didn’t miss the serious expression that crossed his face.

  “Thomas, you know I’m joking.”

  “Iz, your happiness means everything to me. You do know that, don’t you? My favorite thing to see is that beautiful smile on those lips.”

  Thomas’s voice grew low, and Isabella could tell that they’d gone beyond the point of teasing now.

  “I do know that, Thomas. And I hope I can make you half as happy as you make me. I mean that, babe. Man, I miss you. What are we doing apart right now anyway?” Isabella laughed lightly but suddenly all she wanted was to be back in Thomas’s arms. This was what it felt like to love someone so completely—to feel like a part of you is incomplete without the other.

  “I miss you too, honey. In fact, I may have to have you turn your video off because I’m not sure that I can stand looking at your lips another second.” Thomas laughed lightly.

  “Well, we better talk about something nonromantic then, because I’m not ready to let you go just yet.” Isabella grinned into the camera. “Is everything good with the house? All systems go?”

  Thomas ran his fingers through his hair before responding, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Isabella as it was a habit of his when he was feeling nervous about something. “Oh yeah, everything’s good. Don’t you worry about a thing. Your job right now is to relax and help inspire Blu by being your gorgeous self in that wedding dress.”

  “Thomas!” Isabella’s sudden recollection of news was enough to cause her to drop her questions about what was possibly bothering him. “You’re not going to believe all the news I have for you. There’s been a lot of surprises going on around here today.”

  Isabella filled him on her delight about Jemma showing up unexpectedly and then the even bigger news about Jemma and Rafael expecting.

  “Oh, wow! They must be so excited! And how wonderful that Jemma could surprise you by being there. I know how happy that must make you, Iz.”

  Thomas’s look changed just slightly in front of the camera.

  “Thomas?”

  “What?”

  “Well, you’re just a bit funny today with all the different looks you’re throwing my way. You do know by now that I’m an expert at reading your face, don’t you?” She laughed lightly. “So what was that just now? What are you thinking?” She dropped her voice just a bit. “Tell me, Thomas.”

  “Well, if you must know, thinking about Jemma
’s news makes me have the thought about our own family—the one we’re going to start, I mean.”

  “One day in the future, you mean?” Isabella winked at him.

  They’d had long discussions about having a family and what that looked like for both of them. Thomas had come from a pretty big family and Isabella had been an only child, so at first she had no idea what their magic number was going to be.

  They’d both agreed that they did want children—one day in the future, after Thomas was feeling good about his career and they’d done the traveling that they wanted to do yet as a couple. And then had come the moment of truth when they’d each written a number down on a folded piece of paper.

  Visions of opening that paper to a number befitting a small sports team caused Isabella slight panic. When they both discovered that their magic number of two children was a match, it had only solidified their talk about timing and what they wanted to accomplish during their first few years together as husband and wife.

  Isabella brought her attention back to Thomas on her phone; he’d been telling her that one day he wanted a daughter who looked just like his bride. She smiled.

  “Or a young Thomas would be great too, right?”

  “As long as he looks like his mother, we’ll be doing fine.” Thomas laughed.

  “Oh, stop. You know how handsome you are.” It was Isabella’s turn to grow silent.

  “What is it?”

  “Thomas, you’re going to be a great father. And I can’t wait to become your wife.”

  “I can’t wait for that day either, Iz. It seems like it’s taken us a lifetime to get here—since Bali, I mean. My future wife has the patience of a saint.” He laughed but his voice was low again—like he was trying to hold back his emotions just a bit.

  “And I’d wait for you all over again—if it meant at the end of it all, I’d be your wife forever.”

  Isabella couldn’t stop the few tears from falling. She’d had these conversations with Thomas before but it felt really important all of a sudden—as he was preparing to close on this house without her by his side. She needed for him to know that everything was fine for her. That she loved him enough to make anything work.

  “Why are you crying, Iz?”

  “I just miss you. And I—I really hope you know how excited I am about our future together. I know that it hasn’t been easy for you these past months—that I haven’t been the easiest in regards to the decisions we’ve been making. It means everything to me—the house—”

  “—I do know that, Iz.”

  “But I know it was a compromise for you—how much easier things would be for you if we were to stay in the city. And the job with your dad—I know these are your decisions to make and I just really want you to know that I support you, Thomas, that I’ll always support you.”

  “I do know that, honey, but thank you. It means a lot to me. And you’re—you’re not wrong to question my choices when it comes to the whole career thing. I know you just care about me doing something that I’m passionate about. I get that and I appreciate that—more than you probably know, Iz.”

  Isabella nodded. “Good.”

  “So if you can just trust me on all of that, I promise you that I will not do wrong by you—that I will listen to you and we’ll grow and figure things out together as we go. Fair enough?”

  “Fair. And as much as I don’t want to say goodbye, I know you have a lot going on today so I should let you go. I love you, Thomas.”

  “I love you too, Iz.”

  Isabella clicked off the app and put the phone down next to her on the bed, contented thoughts about Thomas filling her mind.

  Yes, she certainly was living her dream come true life—more so than she ever would have even been able to imagine.

  She leaned over to reach for the small box in her bedside table drawer. She’d made the decision before Thomas had left to go back to New York. She’d spread the ashes in two more spots. The first in Positano. And the final remaining ashes would rest under the big tree of their new home in Connecticut—the home she was building with her husband—for a family that would know about the love of a grandmother who had died way too young.

  Isabella put the box away and got up from the bed to walk across the room to Arianna’s map that she’d hung on one wall as soon as she’d unpacked earlier that day. It was always the first thing she did in a new place—find a good place for the map, and a spot near where she’d sleep to place a small container of Arianna’s ashes.

  She smiled as she ran her fingers over the places she’d been these past years. What had started as an adventure with Jemma had continued with Thomas by her side. And, much to her surprise, many of the places were spots she’d ended up traveling to alone.

  She placed her finger on the spot where Tokyo was located—and marked—on the map. Just this past year, she’d made the trip to Japan on her own—something that she never would have thought possible even a year earlier. It has been something of a full circle moment for her, thinking about how she’d let her fears and her guard down when it came to learning the ins and outs of traveling around a new city by herself.

  Along with Arianna’s ashes, Isabella always carried her mother’s words with her as well. Some of her favorite letters written to her by her mother had been unfolded and folded so many times that she was lucky they were still readable. But she knew those special few by heart now. They were what always gave her the added courage when she needed it, whether she was facing a small challenge or something bigger in her life.

  And Tokyo had been a pretty big challenge for Isabella—worthy of being the final destination she’d marked off on Arianna’s map.

  She smiled as she moved back a step and thought about the accomplishment of it all.

  Chapter 14

  Gigi knocked lightly on Isabella’s door, waiting for an invitation before entering the room. It was funny how certain moments caused her such a vivid flash of memory. Just now she could have just as easily stepped back in her mind to a time many years ago where she’d stood outside a young Arianna’s room, waiting to help her or comfort her as needed.

  It still shocked her at times—in only the best of ways—that she’d been so privileged to have such a beautiful relationship with Arianna’s own daughter.

  “Come in.”

  Gigi opened the door and walked across the room to where Isabella was standing by one of the far walls in the suite.

  “Hi, honey. I just wanted to let you know that Lia says dinner will be ready in about an hour.” She looked at the map in front of them and smiled. “The map.”

  Isabella grinned at her and put her arm around Gigi’s waist. “Do you notice anything different, Gi?”

  Gigi’s eyes scanned the map once again. “Really? You did it, Bella!” She couldn’t help the tears from coming as she pulled Isabella in closer to her. She knew the accomplishment that it was and also what it meant to Isabella. Yes, Arianna would have been well pleased by the challenge her daughter had taken up on her behalf.

  “I did. I did do it, didn’t I?” Isabella was grinning at her. “I visited every place that Arianna had marked on the map or written about in her journal. It’s quite a lot, really—for just over four years, isn’t it?”

  Gigi laughed. “Yes, it is quite a lot.” She was watching Isabella’s face carefully. “What is it, Bella?”

  “What do you think Arianna would have done after she’d visited all the places on her list? Do you know of any places that she talked about but never got around to marking on the map? I guess now that I’m standing here really taking this in with you, I’m wondering what the next part of the journey should be—what Arianna would have wanted it to be, I mean.”

  Gigi reached out to smooth Isabella’s hair back from her face. “Bella, let’s sit for a minute, yes?”

  They sat down on the small sofa and chair just opposite where the map hung. Gigi leaned forward, close enough to take Isabella’s hands in her own. “Ari did have a big dream
to travel the world, that’s for sure. But Ari had other dreams too. You’ve read her letters and the journals. You know what you shared with me about how Ari wanted you to find love?”

  Isabella nodded her head.

  “Well, had Arianna not gotten sick, I’m pretty sure that this would have been a big dream of hers too—to settle down with a man who loved her—to build a home together. As much as that girl wanted to travel, she also really loved where she lived with the view of that magnificent bridge. It was special to her there, despite all of the hard things that happened. And in the end, it was the only place she wanted to be—surrounded there by all of us who loved her so much.”

  Gigi grew silent for a moment as she reached out to wipe away the wetness under Isabella’s eyes.

  “That’s what I think Arianna would want for you—the next part of your journey, Bella. But for sure, I think the important thing is that this is your story—your love story with the man of your dreams. And will there be more travel for you and Thomas? Knowing you two, I’d guess that you’d be adding a lot of your own markers to this great map of yours and that’s fun to do but…”

  Gigi wanted to be careful with Isabella in this moment. It seemed so important to her—the map and Gigi’s words to her about her mother. Gigi knew that, of them all, she was the one who’d spent the most time with Arianna. She and Isabella had had many long chats over the years about everything that Gigi could possibly relay to her about her birth mother.

  “But what, Gi?”

  She smiled at the young girl, so full of life and hope for the future. “But I think that your marriage to Thomas—your happiness in love and here with your family—those are the things that Arianna most wanted for you. The rest was always just about you finding your way, I think. Even the travel—maybe even especially the travel.” Gigi squeezed her hand. “Just look at how much you’ve changed from that young woman afraid to take her first ride on a plane to come see us.”

  “Thank goodness for Douglas coming to get me back then.” Isabella laughed lightly. “But I would have come, you know. I would have made myself. That’s how much I wanted to know you all.”